When Anna Diffendal steps up to take a penalty kick, she zones everything out and picks the perfect spot to take her shot.

She's comfortable taking those pressure-induced shots and it's worked for her.

Diffendal, a junior, led Carroll in scoring with 52 points on 22 goals and eight assists as a sophomore in 2015, earning Times first-team all-county recognition. She also notched four hat tricks and scored 11 goals against county opponents.

"She's one of the hardest working kids I've had," Falcons coach Denny Snyder said. "She loves the game of soccer, the passion she has for it is amazing and it rubs off on all her teammates. She works hard consistently, I can't say enough about her. When you talk about someone that goes out and is totally tenacious and works as hard as she can, she epitomizes that."

Diffendal starts her third varsity season this fall and said the team is meshing exceptionally well so far.

"We have a lot of underclassmen stepping up right now," Diffendal said. "The underclassmen are listening to everything we're saying and they're responding right away, we're working really well together."

Nine seniors return to add talent and depth to the Falcons' playing field.

Haleigh Swam, a former Falcons forward, dubbed the pair a "deadly duo" after a 1-0 victory over South Carroll last season, and said Diffendal was always be there to give her an assist or vice versa. Diffendal's pass to Swam secured the lone goal for the Falcons that evening, and the win.

Swam led the county with 15 assists last season and is slated to start her freshman season at Lock Haven this fall. With Swam gone and a good mix of talent returning, Snyder said he is "cautiously optimistic" about his team.

"We're looking to get better than what we were last year," Snyder said. "We faced some tough losses, lost earlier in the playoffs than we wanted but hopefully that's motivation for them to work together as a team. I tell them it's a marathon, it's not how you play in the beginning, it's how you play at the end and hopefully everyone buys in and I've been very happy so far."

Diffendal also plays lacrosse in the spring, but soccer is the forward's dominant sport. She verbally committed to play at the University of Delaware a few months ago and said the pressure has been relieved because she found a school that matched her athletic and academic aspirations.

"I've definitely grown as a player just by working with other players that come from different sports," Diffendal said. "Soccer might not be their dominant sport but playing it with so many different people has helped me a lot."

Century, the four-time reigning county champions, went undefeated in county play last season and advanced to the Class 2A West Region final. The Knights lost Hannah Warther, the reigning Times Player of the Year, to graduation, but will look to stay consistent.

Francis Scott Key (Gregory Fultz) and Manchester Valley (Denise Nott) have new coaches this season. The Mavs captured the Class 1A North Region title last season and will compete in 3A in 2016.

Liberty, South Carroll, and Westminster each lost first-team all-county picks to graduation, but are bringing in a variety of depth to this year's rosters to remain competitive.

Meanwhile, Diffendal said the Falcons aren't looking past any opponent this year.

"There were some points last season where we had a hard game and could've won," Diffendal said. "At some points we fell behind halfway through, but it's always important to keep a positive mindset this year. We have that and it's working really well for us."